In yesterday’s devotional I highlighted something from Augustine: “The essence of sin is disordered love.”

In short, we all love certain things and certain people. But if we get the order wrong, that’s a problem. For example, if I love my job to the neglect my family, that’s sin. In that scenario I’m living in a way that is dis-ordered.

Today, let’s highlight another reason why it can be difficult to navigate the proper ordering of loves, but also something to help.

Let say you’re in a room with 10 people. You ask them, “What is the proper order of these three letters: A, B and C?”

10 out of 10 say “A, then B, then C.” Correct. 

5 years later you’re in a room with 10 other people. You ask the same question. This time, 8 out of 10 say “A, then B, then C.” But 2 say “B, then C, then A.” 

Why would they say that? Nevertheless, the majority still agree.

5 years down the road you ask the same question to another group of 10 people. This time 4 say “B, then C, then A.” 4 others say “C, then B, then A.” Only 2 say “A, then B, then C.”

Wow, things have certainly changed. 

You probably already guessed that this analogy isn’t about letters. It’s about priorities. Let’s say that A represents God, B represents your family, and C represents a hobby or perhaps your work. 

We live in a time when there is vast disagreement about what our true priorities should be. As Christians, we know that God should be at the top of the list. Increasingly, however, that is a minority opinion! 

Because of social pressure, we can start to blend in with the opinions of those around us, including those who don’t follow Jesus. James 4:4 warns: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” In this context, “the world” refers to forces and systems around us which are anti-God. When we cozy up to “the world” we are distancing ourselves from God.

If the essence of sin is disordered love, perhaps the essence of faithfulness is living out our loves in a way which is properly ordered.

Despite what is happening in the world around us, let’s look to Jesus first and live accordingly.

Notes:

-*This isn’t an exact quote, but is a summary of his argument in book two of the Confessions.
-“Disordered Loves.” Sermon. Click here. April 6, 2025.
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.